"Skinny Dipping" - the skinny on current events, life, sports, and politics from a humorist's perspective by Rose A. Valenta

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Cheers! - Oscars and Mardi Gras 2009

With the American economy on the down-swing, Mardi Gras and entertainment are on the up-swing.

I watched the 2009 Oscar Awards the other night, but the most notable entertainment was the musical medley performed by Hugh Jackman and Beyonce Knowles. Everything else actually sucked. I was not impressed.

OK, “Slumdog Millionaire,” was a good film choice for Best Picture considering our own economic woes and the divorce between Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac, but Opie losing out to Danny Boyle, who could easily portray a rumpled Rudy Giuliani in “Moore/Giuliani” or "Baghdad Bacon"? Meh!

Beyonce Knowles, not only did “the” fantastic job of the evening on Sunday, but she has roots in New Orleans, her mother being of Creole descent. She demonstrated unbelievable talent at the Oscars and her career is definitely going places. She had the audience going nuts cheering her performance.

People from Louisiana tend to be positive thinkers and optimists, something that tends to rub off on large drunken crowds. This is a good thing, especially during Mardi Gras, for the local police department trying to keep the peace. Only one guy lost his beer to a coin tosser and the culprit didn't hesitate to buy another round.

As you can see from the video below, neither recession nor catastrophic flood can put a damper on the annual New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration, which ends today.

Mardi Gras began in 1857 and it has only been canceled 13 times, for major epidemics and wars. After Hurricane Katrina damaged most of Bourbon St., the parades simply moved to other locations on high ground.

Christopher Ycaza, general manager of Galatoire's Restaurant in the French Quarter, says "Mardi Gras is such a part of the community here, the locals may cut back in other areas. But they'll save and, for this one day, blow it out."

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About Me

Twitter: @rosevalenta Humor columnist.
Welcome to Rosie's Renegade Humor Blog. The word "Renegade" describes it all - seriocomic musings about current events, politics, sports, and humorous happenings from around the world. You know, "Skinny Dipping!"
I attend the bi-annual Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at the University of Dayton, am one of the directors of the Robert Benchley Society, and the previous Membership Chair of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
I wrote for a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill for 12 years, as a technical staff writer and freelanced for other industry publications. I took creative writing courses at Delaware Technical College and attended classes at the Philadelphia Improv Theater. Many of my articles are syndicated and have appeared in USA TODAY, Newsday.com, The Courier Post, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

I am available for speaking engagements, please e-mail: ebww2014@comcast.net